Boursin & Prosciutto Pastry Bites
There’s something irresistible about an easy appetizer that looks impressive but asks very little of the cook. This Boursin cheese and prosciutto puff pastry is exactly that. Salty prosciutto and creamy Boursin are tucked beneath golden,
Shrimp on Polenta Rounds with Sun-Dried Tomato Relish
It was one of those days. I needed some sort of dinner inspiration (read nudge) and feeling too lazy to leave the house (I had already been out), I leaned forward to inspect the contents of the fridge and noticed a jar of sun-dried tomatoes right at the back. I usually keep these sort of…
Clam Chowder
According to The Oxford Companion To Food, the term chowder (derived from the French word for chaudière) first showed up in the 1730s by French settlers who brought their iron cooking pots with them when they settled in the Maritime Provinces of Canada. It was here they found the Mi’kmaq Indians and their appetite for native…
Bulgur Salad with Nasturtium Flowers
I love shopping at our local farmers’ markets and we are lucky to have 3! Because the one at Alderney Landing is closer, we tend to frequent this one more often. When I want fresh herbs or lettuce, I buy from Riverview Herbs. Their produce is so fresh it looks as though it was harvested…
Pork Roast with Balsamic Vinegar
Do you recall your Sunday suppers growing up? These are our fondest food memories we all carry with us. It’s a dialogue we rehash every so often where we chat about what it was that made those meals special even if at the time we didn’t know that later on they would hold amazing memories…
Cauliflower Breadsticks
I’m a big cauliflower fan but I wasn’t always…I didn’t dislike it I just wasn’t enamored with it. As a kid and young adult cauliflower in my world was served with a cheese sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the combination but I always felt that the cauliflower on its own was oh so…
Pavia Gallery – Espresso Bar & Café
Rou·tine (ro͞oˈtēn) – a sequence of actions regularly followed; a fixed program. I am all for a routine…it keeps me grounded, allows me to stay focused on what needs to be done on a regular basis but there are times when a routine can feel like a rut. Our Sunday ritual is pretty basic –…
Braised Lamb with Roast Carrot and Mixed Grains
Lamb is traditionally associated with the end of winter and so as a sign that Spring is almost here, I present to you Spring-in-a-Dish! Braised anything in my family is very well-received and I knew this one was going to be a winner. I made this last week and enjoyed it so much I…
Caramelized Onion Tart with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
With all the food experimenting I do, baking with puff pastry has always been a challenge for me. I pore over cookbooks and sites looking for clues as to how to achieve the ultimate crisp and light pastry with flaky golden layers. I do all the things I am supposed to do – preheat the…
Turkey Cutlet Sandwich
The first recorded sandwich was by Rabbi Hillel the Elder in the 1st century BC. He started the Passover custom of sandwiching a mixture of chopped nuts, apples, spices and wine between two matzohs to eat with bitter herbs. The filling between the matzohs served as a reminder of the suffering of the Jews before…
Lime and Sea Salt Kale Chips
I’ve been eyeing kale chips for the last two years and yesterday I finally decided to make my own. The first time I tried a kale chip was at Whole Foods. On the weekends they have food stations placed throughout the store and on one occasion they were touting baked kale chips. Being the inquisitive…
Fig Crostini
I’ll admit that up until a few years ago I would never have given fresh figs a second thought. I’ve used dried figs in recipes but never had the courage to try a fresh one. How would I prepare them? Would they need special handling? How would they taste? Dried figs are available year-round and…
Shrimp and Cheesy Grits
What are grits? There doesn’t seem to be a standardization or labeling rules as to what grits are and are they the same as polenta or cornmeal? If you look at Bob’s Red Mill bag of corn grits you’ll notice it says also known as polenta. Grits are typically coarse-ground cornmeal. Polenta and grits fall…